Russia Conducts Exercises to Counter Foreign Ships

Interfax news agency reported today, Saturday, that the Russian Northern Fleet conducted exercises in the Barents Sea this month to prevent the passage of unauthorized foreign ships. According to Interfax, citing the Northern Fleet's press service, the destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov trained to counter the movements of an intruding vessel in the waters of the Arctic Ocean, off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. The agency stated that the exercises began on August 10, without mentioning when they would end. It added that the fleet intends to conduct further exercises "to defend Russian island and continental areas in the Arctic, as well as to ensure the safety of maritime navigation and other Russian maritime economic activities in the Arctic region."